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T O P I C R E V I E W

heng44

The crew for STS-26 pose at KSC's Shuttle Landing Facility during Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test activities on September 6, 1988. Left to right are: Commander Rick Hauck, Pilot Dick Covey and Mission Specialists Mike Lounge, Dave Hilmers and Pinky Nelson. Hauck and Covey boarded the Shuttle Training Aircraft to practice landings, while the Mission Specialists were briefed on use of the M-113 armored personnel carrier.

Ed Hengeveld

Tom

Ed, any reason why that late in the flight preparations, some crew members were still using the "blue" flight suits?

heng44

The orange suits were introduced only shortly before launch. In fact the first time I saw them was during the countdown test. The earliest photos I have of them are dated late August, about a week before the TCDT. So this was a transition period, I guess...

OV-105

What's with Nelson's boots?

Philip

Another clear example of boots issued by the Air Force, NASA and the Navy... Navy rules.

nasamad

There are photos of all crewmembers wearing blue suits during training and others with all wearing orange suits.

ApolloAlex

Cool photo.

heng44

quote:Originally posted by nasamad:There are photos of all crewmembers wearing blue suits during training and others with all wearing orange suits.

Yes, all blue before late August and all orange after late August.

carmelo

But why blue? Is a bad color in case of ejection.

Robert Pearlman

The original David Clark Company prototype was produced in dark blue. When Lockheed (on behalf of NASA) ordered the first six suits on Sept. 4, 1987, they were only to be used for system certification training, so they were fabricated with the same dark blue Nomex exterior. They were delivered on Feb. 25, 1988.

The second order for 10 suits arrived between March 4 and Sept. 9, 1988. Four were dark blue, and six used orange Nomex covers for enhance visibility during search and rescue operations. [Source]

OV-105

quote:Originally posted by Philip:Another clear example of boots issued by the Air Force, NASA and the Navy... Navy rules.

But Nelson was one of the "post docs" not from the military. This looks almost as weird as the crews training in the pumpkin suits with the pre-Challenger split helmets. I never understood why they did that.